Should I have said something?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

The world is full of people like that. Fortunately, we get to choose whether or not we let them into ours.

With no more at stake than a piece of scrap wood and a few moments of your time, you did the right thing.

Exactly. I just don't deal with those folks. The world's a big place with a bunch of people.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

I would not confront azzwipe directly but probably would have calmly walked to the front of the store and encouraged them to call security to the saw station because there was a dangerously unruly customer screaming at an employee. Then quietly sat back and watch the show.

I worked as a lifeguard/swim instructor in college and one of the training fundamentals was to assess the situation and if it looks like it is getting out of control, get help. We had the local cops on speed dial and they responded promptly to out-of-control teen gang bangers who occasionally created an incident on the pool deck. Once the cops arrived these juiced-up teens would usually get in the cops face and were promptly handcuffed and hauled off. It was a good system that prevented lifeguards from getting knifed in the back.

Different focus. HD doesn't care that much. It would have to be quite a problem. Just my opinion of HD.

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

The world is full of people like that. Fortunately, we get to choose whether or not we let them into ours.

With no more at stake than a piece of scrap wood and a few moments of your time, you did the right thing.

You've tried to tell a HD employee something? There are several of us here that know building and home improvement very well. I'd say MOST here know more about construction and HI than today's HD employees. You would be wasting your breath. If in fact the blade was dull that's your sign fight there that HD all the way to management are not there to know F all about HI. FOA, the saw would be a liability. I'd love to see an insurance surveyor see that but I'm not sure about anyone in the ins business anymore. They likely don't know of the dangers of dull blades.

Last thing: anything laminate from IKEA to high end is going to chip out even with the sharpest of blades. A proper laminate saw has 2 blades in line, the first one barely makes a score cut a few thousands wider than the second blade that cuts through the work. This little episode had no way of going well and that tells you of the ignorance present there. The employee was at fault for even thinking about cutting something not sold there. Aside from the behavior, I side with the jerk. Then again he got what he deserved.

If you carry it one step further, the saws at HD are meant for wood and wood products exclusively. Laminates contain hazardous materials that they are not set up for AFA collection and filtering.

You gonna tell these idiots one tenth of all that?

[LWJ]

I think you drive home with a smile. D-bag had a karma smack back.

He won't learn.

But you can enjoy his pain.

[herr_oberst]

There's lessons to be learned here. (Not by the op, just by HD employees, the angry customer and HD management)

They most likely wont be learned, and the big box shopping experience will eventually become even less satisfying than it already is.

No off cuts at all in the future?

[rwest]

Looking at it from the side of you saying something and the employee refusing to cut the jerks part and now you have the idiot pissed at you and you get to deal with that.

Now if the person asking to have the piece cut was normal and polite, it might have been alright to give your opinion.

[KFC911]

I'm confused about Jeff (OP) asking if he should have said something ... ???

Regarding being rudely interrupted as if he didn't exist?

Or offering his advice to an azzhole?

I don't think think the Jeff Higgins I know is gonna tolerate the first....

I know I would not ... and let the chips fall where they may... not in this scenario... nope!

Unless he was bigger than Higgins is

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I think I see it a different way from everyone on 2 levels. First, if the guy is a jerk, that's on him. I don't think he should poison your (this is an Everyone your but Jeff is a very helpful guy as evidenced many times here on OT) general, helpful demeanor. So I think telling them both is the right thing to do. That's me being aspirational, I certainly don't hit the mark all the time.

Second, if the brit and HD were told, the guy would have left soon after and left Jeff alone with the HD guy. Maybe there'd be a little back and forth but there wouldn't be the assumed lengthy tirade after the botched cut. Here Jeff wins too.

[Tidybuoy]

I think the only thing I would have said "excuse me sir, I'm being helped and I'm sure he will be with you in a moment". I have found that rude people are usually cowards and will stop in their tracks if confronted.

As far as his issue with the cutting, I would not involve myself in that.

[look 171]

I didn't say a thing at all to anyone but seeing this on the side line and I just happened to be the victim of a very rude British middle age man who barging into our conversation. On my way home, I was actually happy that his piece of plastic track got blown to 1000 pieces and wanted to say to the manager of HD that the piece he wanted cut was not bought there and that they shouldn't be responsible and that he should F off and go home only because of the British man's rude behavior. He has the attitude of his siht didn't stink. Life is too short to be thinking about this anymore. I had a great morning, all smiles and sunshine. Interesting to hear that we are all in the same page.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by look 171

I was asking the man there about small scrap pieces then I hear this British guy, du-rag, tight shirt and some type of tight track pants cuts in asking about cutting some plastic track like pieces. Of course, we stopped and the Homedepot man had to answer him only to

"I'm sorry. Excuse me. I've been waiting here before you."

I've almost taken noses off while stretching and rotating the back with elbows in the grocery line.
Careless me.

[herr_oberst]

I hate rude behavior in a man
I won't tolerate it.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by KFC911

I'm confused about Jeff (OP) asking if he should have said something ... ???

Regarding being rudely interrupted as if he didn't exist?

Or offering his advice to an azzhole?

I don't think think the Jeff Higgins I know is gonna tolerate the first....

I know I would not ... and let the chips fall where they may... not in this scenario... nope!

Unless he was bigger than Higgins is

In my best Clint Eastwood voice, from The Unforgiven:

"I'm not like that anymore."

There may have been a time, way way back in my dark and distant past, when I might have espoused (and possibly taken) a very slightly different approach to such an affront. Even then, however, I would have given him one fair chance to both acknowledge and apologize for the error of his ways before introducing him to the consequences for having done neither.

I have neither the time nor energy for that anymore, though. At least not over something like this. I'm not even sure anymore just what it would take to "get my Irish up". I'll know it if I see it. This ain't it.

[Brian 162]

I bet the HD guy is out of a job.
I wouldn’t have said anything either.

I witnessed an interaction when I was buying albums over the holidays. The store clearly had a sign stating they won’t buy used cd’s until January.
Well some older guy comes in wanting to sell his dvd’s. The clerk explained the policy, customer wasn’t having any of it, He drove an hour blah blah blah.
Manager stepped in gave him a price, customer didn’t like it drops f bomb and storms out.
I complimented the staff on their restraint. We had a good laugh about it.

[917_Langheck]

https://youtu.be/YWSo7c5sNq0?si=o6sBJgVAHYYVDIGT

"So, It's just you then?"

[KFC911]

"I am an azzhole... "

Search for the thread if no one pastes it here

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Brian 162

I bet the HD guy is out of a job.
I wouldn’t have said anything either.

I witnessed an interaction when I was buying albums over the holidays. The store clearly had a sign stating they won’t buy used cd’s until January.
Well some older guy comes in wanting to sell his dvd’s. The clerk explained the policy, customer wasn’t having any of it, He drove an hour blah blah blah.
Manager stepped in gave him a price, customer didn’t like it drops f bomb and storms out.
I complimented the staff on their restraint. We had a good laugh about it.

That alone is the reason to tell them the saw will destroy the piece.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 917_Langheck

https://youtu.be/YWSo7c5sNq0?si=o6sBJgVAHYYVDIGT

"So, It's just you then?"

Awesome!

[speeder]

Maybe the HD employee who gave up his job for a $10 bribe was the one who needed to learn a life lesson. That short-term thinking isn't always the way to go. If he's young and even marginally intelligent, it will be a lesson learned. If he's stupid, it's a lost cause and he will blame the consequences on everyone but himself.

I would not have let the guy butt in front of me while talking to the employee. We have the busiest HD in the country here, (Sunset Blvd. in east Hollywood), sometimes you need to walk the whole store to find an employee. That would be a fighting situation. But strangely enough, even though it's like the United Nations here, (or maybe because of it), no one is that rude, generally speaking.